How To Make Homemade Frozen Home Fries

Cooking on the griddle

I love to make home fries! I actually had no idea that fried, diced potatoes were called "home fries" until after I graduated from college. I'm not sure what  I called them before that! But I love home fries with breakfast and especially with a good tuna melt.

I found a bag of potatoes on clearance at the grocery store for  $.75. I just could not pass it up. I know there are "suggestions" out there as to what kind of potato works best for certain recipes. I can never keep track of that so I just use whatever it is I have on hand to make whatever it is I need.  I don't really care if the potatoes I have aren't "waxy" enough. I'll get over it. So use whatever you want and if you don't like it, just use a different kind the next time.

How to Make Homemade Home Fries (To Eat or Freeze)

1. Cook your potatoes. I fill up my Crock Pot to 2/3 full and turn it on high. It usually takes about 2 hours to cook the potatoes (poke holes in them). But you could bake or boil yours. Just don't let them get too soft. You still want some firmness.

2. Dice up the potatoes. Any which way, any size, will do!

3. To freeze: spread potatoes out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag or container.

Frozen Home Fries ready to be fried!

How to Cook Home Fries

1. If your potatoes are not frozen, simply fry in a pan or on a skillet with a good amount of fat (butter or bacon grease is super yummy!). Allow them to cook for 5 minutes without stirring to get a nice brown crust. Stir and cook so that all sides brown.

2. If your potatoes are frozen: Heat pan or skillet. Melt butter or bacon grease on pan/skillet. Put frozen potatoes on/in pan/skillet and allow to cook for a good 10-15 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING! Then check a few underneath to see if they are turning a nice brown. If they are, stir and cook until all sides are brown. If they are not yet brown, allow to cook until they are brown and then stir. 

Macaroni Salad

I am not much of a macaroni salad (or any pasta salad) eater. I prefer potato salad or coleslaw. But my husband loves potato salad so it's a good recipe to have in my repertoire. Plus, I always have some pasta in the house, which makes this a quick and easy side dish to whip up.

I almost didn't make this recipe because it called for roasted red pepper and I didn't have any peppers in the house. Then I realized it meant the peppers in the JAR! I had an open jar in the fridge so that was that!

This was good! Even I liked it!

Macaroni Salad 
2 cups macaroni pasta
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/3 to 1/2 (or more) cup mayo
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
Paprika, salt, pepper to taste

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (there should still be a "bite" in the pasta). Drain pasta and run cool water over until it is room temperature.  Add rest of ingredients and stir to mix. Chill.

Adapted (slightly) from Simply Recipes.

Fingerling Potato Kebabs

I picked up a small bag of fingerling potatoes at the Farmer's Market.  When it came time to make the potatoes, I had no idea what to do with them except roast or boil them.  Then it occurred to me that they were small enough to be skewered for kebabs.  There were so cute and fun to eat!

Fingerling Potato Kebabs
12-16 ounces fingerling potatoes
2 Tablespoons salt
Olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Dried rosemary

Put potatoes in a medium pot. Add water and 2 Tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes are tender. Drain.  Thread potatoes on to skewers and lay skewers on a platter. Brush potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary.  Cook potatoes on grill for about 5 minutes just until skin is browned.